Hosting requirements (and PM request)

Hosting requirements (and PM request)

Now apologies first – I seem to see a lot of messages
flying around about hosting which if you’re not interested are rather
dull, and now I find myself in that predicament!

So in short – I need to move one of our systems from
its current platform to a new more robust solution given the sudden increase in
demand. I have actually got as far as being recommended a solution by a
provider, but have suddenly thought – “that’s an awful lot,
and I should be able to get the same service for a lot less”.

We are looking for a dedicated server solution which has the
specification as follows:-

·Quad Core Xeon

·4GB RAM

·2x300GB HDD, Raid 1

·Windows Server 2003 32Bit

·SQL Workgroup

·100mb connection, 4,000GB bandwidth per month.

·50GB backup space on a NAS

This needs to cover SQL licensing, managed back-ups and a
reasonable SLA to ensure there is as little down time as possible. I’m
also keen to look at virtualised solutions as ultimately we will want a
separate server instance for each client of the software, but believe a virtual
instance will be sufficient over a dedicated machine. We’re currently
looking at about £600 per month for this, so would really appreciate any
recommendations for alternatives at a cheaper price.

Also...if there are any decent PM’s experienced in the
delivery of high volume web-sites, or anyone can recommend one, I have an
amazing opportunity for a 3-6 month stint in Abu Dhabi, UAE working on an
e-Commerce site for a significant airline in this area. An incredible country
and a rewarding experience for the right individual who fancies a new
challenge!

RE: Hosting requirements (and PM request)

Hi Paul,

www.medialayer.com - they are very good at providing high performance solutions and they have a great reputation on webhostingtalk.com - i don't think there is anything other than glowing reviews for the company.

Check them out, I have a few large websites hosted with them and have never had any performance issues.

Now apologies first ? I seem to see a lot of messages
flying around about hosting which if you?re not interested are rather
dull, and now I find myself in that predicament!

So in short ? I need to move one of our systems from
its current platform to a new more robust solution given the sudden increase in
demand. I have actually got as far as being recommended a solution by a
provider, but have suddenly thought ? ?that?s an awful lot,
and I should be able to get the same service for a lot less?.

We are looking for a dedicated server solution which has the
specification as follows:-

·Quad Core Xeon

·4GB RAM

·2x300GB HDD, Raid 1

·Windows Server 2003 32Bit

·SQL Workgroup

·100mb connection, 4,000GB bandwidth per month.

·50GB backup space on a NAS

This needs to cover SQL licensing, managed back-ups and a
reasonable SLA to ensure there is as little down time as possible. I?m
also keen to look at virtualised solutions as ultimately we will want a
separate server instance for each client of the software, but believe a virtual
instance will be sufficient over a dedicated machine. We?re currently
looking at about £600 per month for this, so would really appreciate any
recommendations for alternatives at a cheaper price.

Also...if there are any decent PM?s experienced in the
delivery of high volume web-sites, or anyone can recommend one, I have an
amazing opportunity for a 3-6 month stint in Abu Dhabi, UAE working on an
e-Commerce site for a significant airline in this area. An incredible country
and a rewarding experience for the right individual who fancies a new
challenge!

Re: Hosting requirements (and PM request)

£600 sounds quite reasonable to me if you're getting the full 24/7
support package (firewalls, load balancing, monitoring, disk hot swap,
etc.etc.). You may be able to shave some off this but if that involves
moving to a different hosting provider, have you factored in the cost of
the move? With planning, setup, data migration, running both providers
in parallel for a while etc., it may not be worth the hassle.

>
> Now apologies first – I seem to see a lot of messages flying around
> about hosting which if you’re not interested are rather dull, and now
> I find myself in that predicament!
>
> So in short – I need to move one of our systems from its current
> platform to a new more robust solution given the sudden increase in
> demand. I have actually got as far as being recommended a solution by
> a provider, but have suddenly thought – “that’s an awful lot, and I
> should be able to get the same service for a lot less”.
>
> We are looking for a dedicated server solution which has the
> specification as follows:-
>
> · Quad Core Xeon
>
> · 4GB RAM
>
> · 2x300GB HDD, Raid 1
>
> · Windows Server 2003 32Bit
>
> · SQL Workgroup
>
> · 100mb connection, 4,000GB bandwidth per month.
>
> · 50GB backup space on a NAS
>
> This needs to cover SQL licensing, managed back-ups and a reasonable
> SLA to ensure there is as little down time as possible. I’m also keen
> to look at virtualised solutions as ultimately we will want a separate
> server instance for each client of the software, but believe a virtual
> instance will be sufficient over a dedicated machine. We’re currently
> looking at about £600 per month for this, so would really appreciate
> any recommendations for alternatives at a cheaper price.
>
> Also...if there are any decent PM’s experienced in the delivery of
> high volume web-sites, or anyone can recommend one, I have an amazing
> opportunity for a 3-6 month stint in Abu Dhabi, UAE working on an
> e-Commerce site for a significant airline in this area. An incredible
> country and a rewarding experience for the right individual who
> fancies a new challenge!
>
> Thanks for your time,
>
> Paul
>
> Paul Curtis
>
> Managing Director
>
> Unomee Ltd
>
> ( +44 (0) 1462 457005
>
> È +44 (0) 7951 038591
>
> * [hidden email]>
> www http://www.unomee.com>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Please Note: If you hit "*REPLY*", your message will be sent to
> *everyone* on this mailing list ([hidden email]> <mailto:[hidden email]>)
> This message was sent by Paul Curtis ([hidden email]) from London
> OpenCoffee Meetup <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>.
> To learn more about Paul Curtis, visit his/her member profile
> <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8239119/>
> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here
> <http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>
>
> Meetup Support: [hidden email]> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA

Now apologies first – I seem to see a lot of messages flying
around about hosting which if you’re not interested are rather dull, and now I
find myself in that predicament!

So in short – I need to move one of our systems from its
current platform to a new more robust solution given the sudden increase in
demand. I have actually got as far as being recommended a solution by a
provider, but have suddenly thought – “that’s an awful lot, and I should be able
to get the same service for a lot less”.

We are looking for a dedicated server solution which has the
specification as follows:-

·Quad Core Xeon

·4GB RAM

·2x300GB HDD, Raid 1

·Windows Server 2003 32Bit

·SQL Workgroup

·100mb connection, 4,000GB bandwidth per
month.

·50GB backup space on a NAS

This needs to cover SQL licensing, managed back-ups and a
reasonable SLA to ensure there is as little down time as possible. I’m
also keen to look at virtualised solutions as ultimately we will want a separate
server instance for each client of the software, but believe a virtual instance
will be sufficient over a dedicated machine. We’re currently looking at
about £600 per month for this, so would really appreciate any recommendations
for alternatives at a cheaper price.

Also...if there are any decent PM’s experienced in the
delivery of high volume web-sites, or anyone can recommend one, I have an
amazing opportunity for a 3-6 month stint in Abu Dhabi, UAE working on an
e-Commerce site for a significant airline in this area. An incredible
country and a rewarding experience for the right individual who fancies a new
challenge!

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, Registered in Scotland No. 90312. Registered Office: 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB
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Re: Hosting requirements (and PM request)

First off, he is absolutely correct in that data migrations are a pain,
especially if your goal is a seamless move with no visible downtime to the
user. You will find the costs/hassle of this could more than outweigh the
benefits of the move.

However, and maybe this is the start-up in me, but £600 a month for the
server your need seems excessive to me, even if you factor in a hefty
support and maintenance contract. While my servers are hosted in the US,
when I had a UK base I used UK2.net. While they don't out of the box offer
the kind of support your looking for, their packages are very cost
competitive and their reliability is top notch.

For example, not sure about the NAS, but they have a server that matches
your specs for £213 a month (assuming you pre-pay for the year). If you
have a way of migrating easily, they may be worth a look.

> Paul
>
> £600 sounds quite reasonable to me if you're getting the full 24/7
> support package (firewalls, load balancing, monitoring, disk hot swap,
> etc.etc.). You may be able to shave some off this but if that involves
> moving to a different hosting provider, have you factored in the cost of
> the move? With planning, setup, data migration, running both providers
> in parallel for a while etc., it may not be worth the hassle.
>
>
> Chris Powell
> http://www.mindyourstreet.com>
>
>
>
> Paul Curtis wrote:
>>
>> Now apologies first – I seem to see a lot of messages flying around
>> about hosting which if you’re not interested are rather dull, and now
>> I find myself in that predicament!
>>
>> So in short – I need to move one of our systems from its current
>> platform to a new more robust solution given the sudden increase in
>> demand. I have actually got as far as being recommended a solution by
>> a provider, but have suddenly thought – “that’s an awful lot, and

I

>>
>> should be able to get the same service for a lot less”.
>>
>> We are looking for a dedicated server solution which has the
>> specification as follows:-
>>
>> · Quad Core Xeon
>>
>> · 4GB RAM
>>
>> · 2x300GB HDD, Raid 1
>>
>> · Windows Server 2003 32Bit
>>
>> · SQL Workgroup
>>
>> · 100mb connection, 4,000GB bandwidth per month.
>>
>> · 50GB backup space on a NAS
>>
>> This needs to cover SQL licensing, managed back-ups and a reasonable
>> SLA to ensure there is as little down time as possible. I’m also keen
>> to look at virtualised solutions as ultimately we will want a separate
>> server instance for each client of the software, but believe a virtual
>> instance will be sufficient over a dedicated machine. We’re currently
>> looking at about £600 per month for this, so would really appreciate
>> any recommendations for alternatives at a cheaper price.
>>
>> Also...if there are any decent PM’s experienced in the delivery of
>> high volume web-sites, or anyone can recommend one, I have an amazing
>> opportunity for a 3-6 month stint in Abu Dhabi, UAE working on an
>> e-Commerce site for a significant airline in this area. An incredible
>> country and a rewarding experience for the right individual who
>> fancies a new challenge!
>>
>> Thanks for your time,
>>
>> Paul
>>
>> Paul Curtis
>>
>> Managing Director
>>
>> Unomee Ltd
>>
>> ( +44 (0) 1462 457005
>>
>> È +44 (0) 7951 038591
>>
>> * [hidden email]>>
>> www http://www.unomee.com>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Please Note: If you hit "*REPLY*", your message will be sent to
>> *everyone* on this mailing list ([hidden email]>> <mailto:[hidden email]>)
>> This message was sent by Paul Curtis ([hidden email]) from London
>> OpenCoffee Meetup <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>.
>> To learn more about Paul Curtis, visit his/her member profile
>> <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8239119/>
>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here
>> <http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>
>>
>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>
>
>
>
> --
> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on
> this mailing list ([hidden email])
> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/> This message was sent by Chris Powell ([hidden email]) from

RE: Hosting requirements (and PM request)

This has been really valuable, and I must admit that I had forgotten about the pain associated with a data migration - as we are due to hit a busy season it may well be worth delaying the decision till this has passed.

The server price is an interesting one - the cost of the server on its own from RapidSwitch (the current provider) is £260 per month, the additional cost comes with all the support, back-ups and SQL management, as we are looking for a completely outsourced solution.

So pragmatically we will probably stay where we are now and go through a proper tender process when the dust settles on the current season - given that we are in a recession prices should become even more competitive going forward.

First off, he is absolutely correct in that data migrations are a pain,
especially if your goal is a seamless move with no visible downtime to the
user. You will find the costs/hassle of this could more than outweigh the
benefits of the move.

However, and maybe this is the start-up in me, but £600 a month for the
server your need seems excessive to me, even if you factor in a hefty
support and maintenance contract. While my servers are hosted in the US,
when I had a UK base I used UK2.net. While they don't out of the box offer
the kind of support your looking for, their packages are very cost
competitive and their reliability is top notch.

For example, not sure about the NAS, but they have a server that matches
your specs for £213 a month (assuming you pre-pay for the year). If you
have a way of migrating easily, they may be worth a look.

> Paul
>
> £600 sounds quite reasonable to me if you're getting the full 24/7
> support package (firewalls, load balancing, monitoring, disk hot swap,
> etc.etc.). You may be able to shave some off this but if that involves
> moving to a different hosting provider, have you factored in the cost of
> the move? With planning, setup, data migration, running both providers
> in parallel for a while etc., it may not be worth the hassle.
>
>
> Chris Powell
> http://www.mindyourstreet.com>
>
>
>
> Paul Curtis wrote:
>>
>> Now apologies first – I seem to see a lot of messages flying around
>> about hosting which if you’re not interested are rather dull, and now
>> I find myself in that predicament!
>>
>> So in short – I need to move one of our systems from its current
>> platform to a new more robust solution given the sudden increase in
>> demand. I have actually got as far as being recommended a solution by
>> a provider, but have suddenly thought – “that’s an awful lot, and

I

>>
>> should be able to get the same service for a lot less”.
>>
>> We are looking for a dedicated server solution which has the
>> specification as follows:-
>>
>> · Quad Core Xeon
>>
>> · 4GB RAM
>>
>> · 2x300GB HDD, Raid 1
>>
>> · Windows Server 2003 32Bit
>>
>> · SQL Workgroup
>>
>> · 100mb connection, 4,000GB bandwidth per month.
>>
>> · 50GB backup space on a NAS
>>
>> This needs to cover SQL licensing, managed back-ups and a reasonable
>> SLA to ensure there is as little down time as possible. I’m also keen
>> to look at virtualised solutions as ultimately we will want a separate
>> server instance for each client of the software, but believe a virtual
>> instance will be sufficient over a dedicated machine. We’re currently
>> looking at about £600 per month for this, so would really appreciate
>> any recommendations for alternatives at a cheaper price.
>>
>> Also...if there are any decent PM’s experienced in the delivery of
>> high volume web-sites, or anyone can recommend one, I have an amazing
>> opportunity for a 3-6 month stint in Abu Dhabi, UAE working on an
>> e-Commerce site for a significant airline in this area. An incredible
>> country and a rewarding experience for the right individual who
>> fancies a new challenge!
>>
>> Thanks for your time,
>>
>> Paul
>>
>> Paul Curtis
>>
>> Managing Director
>>
>> Unomee Ltd
>>
>> ( +44 (0) 1462 457005
>>
>> È +44 (0) 7951 038591
>>
>> * [hidden email]>>
>> www http://www.unomee.com>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Please Note: If you hit "*REPLY*", your message will be sent to
>> *everyone* on this mailing list ([hidden email]>> <mailto:[hidden email]>)
>> This message was sent by Paul Curtis ([hidden email]) from London
>> OpenCoffee Meetup <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>.
>> To learn more about Paul Curtis, visit his/her member profile
>> <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8239119/>
>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here
>> <http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>
>>
>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>
>
>
>
> --
> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on
> this mailing list ([hidden email])
> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/> This message was sent by Chris Powell ([hidden email]) from

Re: Hosting requirements (and PM request)

How about getting one or two more servers (say uk2 £59 per month) and
using those to serve up static files?

It will ease the load on your main server and give you a nice path
to expand even further.

You could think about Amazons EC2 servers, but that'll cost you more
in bandwidth.

Let me know if you'd like more info on this - setting up rsync jobs
to get the files copied from your application/db server to the static
file servers (asset hosts). It's pretty straightforward.

Steve.

On Fri, Feb 06, 2009 at 05:37:38AM -0500, Paul Curtis wrote:

> Thanks Geoffrey and Paul,
>
> This has been really valuable, and I must admit that I had forgotten about the pain associated with a data migration - as we are due to hit a busy season it may well be worth delaying the decision till this has passed.
>
> The server price is an interesting one - the cost of the server on its own from RapidSwitch (the current provider) is £260 per month, the additional cost comes with all the support, back-ups and SQL management, as we are looking for a completely outsourced solution.
>
> So pragmatically we will probably stay where we are now and go through a proper tender process when the dust settles on the current season - given that we are in a recession prices should become even more competitive going forward.
>
> Thanks again for everyone's help in this matter,
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Paul
>
>
> Paul Curtis
> Managing Director
> Unomee Ltd
>
> U +44 (0) 1462 457005
> +44 (0) 7951 038591
> 0 [hidden email]> www http://www.unomee.com>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Geoffrey McCaleb
> Sent: 06 February 2009 13:51
> To: [hidden email]> Subject: Re: [entrepreneur-1056] Hosting requirements (and PM request)
>
> I agree and disagree with Paul here.
>
> First off, he is absolutely correct in that data migrations are a pain,
> especially if your goal is a seamless move with no visible downtime to the
> user. You will find the costs/hassle of this could more than outweigh the
> benefits of the move.
>
> However, and maybe this is the start-up in me, but £600 a month for the
> server your need seems excessive to me, even if you factor in a hefty
> support and maintenance contract. While my servers are hosted in the US,
> when I had a UK base I used UK2.net. While they don't out of the box offer
> the kind of support your looking for, their packages are very cost
> competitive and their reliability is top notch.
>
> For example, not sure about the NAS, but they have a server that matches
> your specs for £213 a month (assuming you pre-pay for the year). If you
> have a way of migrating easily, they may be worth a look.
>
> Geoffrey
>
> On Fri, 6 Feb 2009 04:36:46 -0500, Chris Powell <[hidden email]>
> wrote:
> > Paul
> >
> > £600 sounds quite reasonable to me if you're getting the full 24/7
> > support package (firewalls, load balancing, monitoring, disk hot swap,
> > etc.etc.). You may be able to shave some off this but if that involves
> > moving to a different hosting provider, have you factored in the cost of
> > the move? With planning, setup, data migration, running both providers
> > in parallel for a while etc., it may not be worth the hassle.
> >
> >
> > Chris Powell
> > http://www.mindyourstreet.com> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Paul Curtis wrote:
> >>
> >> Now apologies first – I seem to see a lot of messages flying around
> >> about hosting which if you’re not interested are rather dull, and now
> >> I find myself in that predicament!
> >>
> >> So in short – I need to move one of our systems from its current
> >> platform to a new more robust solution given the sudden increase in
> >> demand. I have actually got as far as being recommended a solution by
> >> a provider, but have suddenly thought – “that’s an awful lot, and
> I
> >>
> >> should be able to get the same service for a lot less”.
> >>
> >> We are looking for a dedicated server solution which has the
> >> specification as follows:-
> >>
> >> · Quad Core Xeon
> >>
> >> · 4GB RAM
> >>
> >> · 2x300GB HDD, Raid 1
> >>
> >> · Windows Server 2003 32Bit
> >>
> >> · SQL Workgroup
> >>
> >> · 100mb connection, 4,000GB bandwidth per month.
> >>
> >> · 50GB backup space on a NAS
> >>
> >> This needs to cover SQL licensing, managed back-ups and a reasonable
> >> SLA to ensure there is as little down time as possible. I’m also keen
> >> to look at virtualised solutions as ultimately we will want a separate
> >> server instance for each client of the software, but believe a virtual
> >> instance will be sufficient over a dedicated machine. We’re currently
> >> looking at about £600 per month for this, so would really appreciate
> >> any recommendations for alternatives at a cheaper price.
> >>
> >> Also...if there are any decent PM’s experienced in the delivery of
> >> high volume web-sites, or anyone can recommend one, I have an amazing
> >> opportunity for a 3-6 month stint in Abu Dhabi, UAE working on an
> >> e-Commerce site for a significant airline in this area. An incredible
> >> country and a rewarding experience for the right individual who
> >> fancies a new challenge!
> >>
> >> Thanks for your time,
> >>
> >> Paul
> >>
> >> Paul Curtis
> >>
> >> Managing Director
> >>
> >> Unomee Ltd
> >>
> >> ( +44 (0) 1462 457005
> >>
> >> È +44 (0) 7951 038591
> >>
> >> * [hidden email]> >>
> >> www http://www.unomee.com> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Please Note: If you hit "*REPLY*", your message will be sent to
> >> *everyone* on this mailing list ([hidden email]> >> <mailto:[hidden email]>)
> >> This message was sent by Paul Curtis ([hidden email]) from London
> >> OpenCoffee Meetup <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>.
> >> To learn more about Paul Curtis, visit his/her member profile
> >> <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8239119/>
> >> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here
> >> <http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>
> >>
> >> Meetup Support: [hidden email]> >> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on
> > this mailing list ([hidden email])
> > http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/> > This message was sent by Chris Powell ([hidden email]) from
> London
> > OpenCoffee Meetup.
> > To learn more about Chris Powell, visit his/her member profile:
> > http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8343819/> > To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here:
> > http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/> > Meetup Support: [hidden email]> > 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>
> --
> geoffrey mccaleb: bedl.am studios ltd.
> email: [hidden email] | phone: +44-7900-911823
> jabber/msn: [hidden email] | yahoo: bedlam_ltd | skype: bedl.am
>
>
>
> --
> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([hidden email])
> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/> This message was sent by Geoffrey McCaleb ([hidden email]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.
> To learn more about Geoffrey McCaleb, visit his/her member profile: http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/3845249/> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here: http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/> Meetup Support: [hidden email]> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>
>
>
>
> --
> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([hidden email])
> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/> This message was sent by Paul Curtis ([hidden email]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.
> To learn more about Paul Curtis, visit his/her member profile: http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8239119/> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here: http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/> Meetup Support: [hidden email]> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA

Re: Hosting requirements (and PM request)

If I can offer any advice in this area then please let me know.
XCalibre has been providing hosting solutions for 11 years, and
requirements can vary a lot, so happy to help and advise (and not to get
a sale, we remember what it was like being a startup, even after 11 years!).

In that respect I think everyone who has replied today has had valid
opinions, but it really depends what suits people most appropriately
depending on their business and technical skills.

> How about getting one or two more servers (say uk2 £59 per month) and
> using those to serve up static files?
>
> It will ease the load on your main server and give you a nice path
> to expand even further.
>
> You could think about Amazons EC2 servers, but that'll cost you more
> in bandwidth.
>
> Let me know if you'd like more info on this - setting up rsync jobs
> to get the files copied from your application/db server to the static
> file servers (asset hosts). It's pretty straightforward.
>
>
> Steve.
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 06, 2009 at 05:37:38AM -0500, Paul Curtis wrote:
>
>> Thanks Geoffrey and Paul,
>>
>> This has been really valuable, and I must admit that I had forgotten about the pain associated with a data migration - as we are due to hit a busy season it may well be worth delaying the decision till this has passed.
>>
>> The server price is an interesting one - the cost of the server on its own from RapidSwitch (the current provider) is £260 per month, the additional cost comes with all the support, back-ups and SQL management, as we are looking for a completely outsourced solution.
>>
>> So pragmatically we will probably stay where we are now and go through a proper tender process when the dust settles on the current season - given that we are in a recession prices should become even more competitive going forward.
>>
>> Thanks again for everyone's help in this matter,
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> Paul
>>
>>
>> Paul Curtis
>> Managing Director
>> Unomee Ltd
>>
>> U +44 (0) 1462 457005
>> +44 (0) 7951 038591
>> 0 [hidden email]>> www http://www.unomee.com>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Geoffrey McCaleb
>> Sent: 06 February 2009 13:51
>> To: [hidden email]>> Subject: Re: [entrepreneur-1056] Hosting requirements (and PM request)
>>
>> I agree and disagree with Paul here.
>>
>> First off, he is absolutely correct in that data migrations are a pain,
>> especially if your goal is a seamless move with no visible downtime to the
>> user. You will find the costs/hassle of this could more than outweigh the
>> benefits of the move.
>>
>> However, and maybe this is the start-up in me, but £600 a month for the
>> server your need seems excessive to me, even if you factor in a hefty
>> support and maintenance contract. While my servers are hosted in the US,
>> when I had a UK base I used UK2.net. While they don't out of the box offer
>> the kind of support your looking for, their packages are very cost
>> competitive and their reliability is top notch.
>>
>> For example, not sure about the NAS, but they have a server that matches
>> your specs for £213 a month (assuming you pre-pay for the year). If you
>> have a way of migrating easily, they may be worth a look.
>>
>> Geoffrey
>>
>> On Fri, 6 Feb 2009 04:36:46 -0500, Chris Powell <[hidden email]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Paul
>>>
>>> £600 sounds quite reasonable to me if you're getting the full 24/7
>>> support package (firewalls, load balancing, monitoring, disk hot swap,
>>> etc.etc.). You may be able to shave some off this but if that involves
>>> moving to a different hosting provider, have you factored in the cost of
>>> the move? With planning, setup, data migration, running both providers
>>> in parallel for a while etc., it may not be worth the hassle.
>>>
>>>
>>> Chris Powell
>>> http://www.mindyourstreet.com>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Paul Curtis wrote:
>>>
>>>> Now apologies first – I seem to see a lot of messages flying around
>>>> about hosting which if you’re not interested are rather dull, and now
>>>> I find myself in that predicament!
>>>>
>>>> So in short – I need to move one of our systems from its current
>>>> platform to a new more robust solution given the sudden increase in
>>>> demand. I have actually got as far as being recommended a solution by
>>>> a provider, but have suddenly thought – “that’s an awful lot, and
>>>>
>> I
>>
>>>> should be able to get the same service for a lot less”.
>>>>
>>>> We are looking for a dedicated server solution which has the
>>>> specification as follows:-
>>>>
>>>> · Quad Core Xeon
>>>>
>>>> · 4GB RAM
>>>>
>>>> · 2x300GB HDD, Raid 1
>>>>
>>>> · Windows Server 2003 32Bit
>>>>
>>>> · SQL Workgroup
>>>>
>>>> · 100mb connection, 4,000GB bandwidth per month.
>>>>
>>>> · 50GB backup space on a NAS
>>>>
>>>> This needs to cover SQL licensing, managed back-ups and a reasonable
>>>> SLA to ensure there is as little down time as possible. I’m also keen
>>>> to look at virtualised solutions as ultimately we will want a separate
>>>> server instance for each client of the software, but believe a virtual
>>>> instance will be sufficient over a dedicated machine. We’re currently
>>>> looking at about £600 per month for this, so would really appreciate
>>>> any recommendations for alternatives at a cheaper price.
>>>>
>>>> Also...if there are any decent PM’s experienced in the delivery of
>>>> high volume web-sites, or anyone can recommend one, I have an amazing
>>>> opportunity for a 3-6 month stint in Abu Dhabi, UAE working on an
>>>> e-Commerce site for a significant airline in this area. An incredible
>>>> country and a rewarding experience for the right individual who
>>>> fancies a new challenge!
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for your time,
>>>>
>>>> Paul
>>>>
>>>> Paul Curtis
>>>>
>>>> Managing Director
>>>>
>>>> Unomee Ltd
>>>>
>>>> ( +44 (0) 1462 457005
>>>>
>>>> È +44 (0) 7951 038591
>>>>
>>>> * [hidden email]>>>>
>>>> www http://www.unomee.com>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Please Note: If you hit "*REPLY*", your message will be sent to
>>>> *everyone* on this mailing list ([hidden email]>>>> <mailto:[hidden email]>)
>>>> This message was sent by Paul Curtis ([hidden email]) from London
>>>> OpenCoffee Meetup <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>.
>>>> To learn more about Paul Curtis, visit his/her member profile
>>>> <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8239119/>
>>>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here
>>>> <http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>
>>>>
>>>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>>>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on
>>> this mailing list ([hidden email])
>>> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>>> This message was sent by Chris Powell ([hidden email]) from
>>>
>> London
>>
>>> OpenCoffee Meetup.
>>> To learn more about Chris Powell, visit his/her member profile:
>>> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8343819/>>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here:
>>> http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>>>
>> --
>> geoffrey mccaleb: bedl.am studios ltd.
>> email: [hidden email] | phone: +44-7900-911823
>> jabber/msn: [hidden email] | yahoo: bedlam_ltd | skype: bedl.am
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([hidden email])
>> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>> This message was sent by Geoffrey McCaleb ([hidden email]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.
>> To learn more about Geoffrey McCaleb, visit his/her member profile: http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/3845249/>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here: http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([hidden email])
>> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>> This message was sent by Paul Curtis ([hidden email]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.
>> To learn more about Paul Curtis, visit his/her member profile: http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8239119/>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here: http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([hidden email])
> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/> This message was sent by Steve Ganly ([hidden email]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.
> To learn more about Steve Ganly, visit his/her member profile: http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/5403433/> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here: http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/> Meetup Support: [hidden email]> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>
>
>
>

Re: Hosting requirements (and PM request)

Paul if it would help I can have one of my tech guys contact you .We
have a number of server set ups that would fit your requirements.

Let me know if I can be of help.

Rgds

Martin

Steve Ganly wrote:

> How about getting one or two more servers (say uk2 £59 per month) and
> using those to serve up static files?
>
> It will ease the load on your main server and give you a nice path
> to expand even further.
>
> You could think about Amazons EC2 servers, but that'll cost you more
> in bandwidth.
>
> Let me know if you'd like more info on this - setting up rsync jobs
> to get the files copied from your application/db server to the static
> file servers (asset hosts). It's pretty straightforward.
>
>
> Steve.
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 06, 2009 at 05:37:38AM -0500, Paul Curtis wrote:
>
>> Thanks Geoffrey and Paul,
>>
>> This has been really valuable, and I must admit that I had forgotten about the pain associated with a data migration - as we are due to hit a busy season it may well be worth delaying the decision till this has passed.
>>
>> The server price is an interesting one - the cost of the server on its own from RapidSwitch (the current provider) is £260 per month, the additional cost comes with all the support, back-ups and SQL management, as we are looking for a completely outsourced solution.
>>
>> So pragmatically we will probably stay where we are now and go through a proper tender process when the dust settles on the current season - given that we are in a recession prices should become even more competitive going forward.
>>
>> Thanks again for everyone's help in this matter,
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> Paul
>>
>>
>> Paul Curtis
>> Managing Director
>> Unomee Ltd
>>
>> U +44 (0) 1462 457005
>> ???+44 (0) 7951 038591
>> 0 [hidden email]>> www http://www.unomee.com>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Geoffrey McCaleb
>> Sent: 06 February 2009 13:51
>> To: [hidden email]>> Subject: Re: [entrepreneur-1056] Hosting requirements (and PM request)
>>
>> I agree and disagree with Paul here.
>>
>> First off, he is absolutely correct in that data migrations are a pain,
>> especially if your goal is a seamless move with no visible downtime to the
>> user. You will find the costs/hassle of this could more than outweigh the
>> benefits of the move.
>>
>> However, and maybe this is the start-up in me, but £600 a month for the
>> server your need seems excessive to me, even if you factor in a hefty
>> support and maintenance contract. While my servers are hosted in the US,
>> when I had a UK base I used UK2.net. While they don't out of the box offer
>> the kind of support your looking for, their packages are very cost
>> competitive and their reliability is top notch.
>>
>> For example, not sure about the NAS, but they have a server that matches
>> your specs for £213 a month (assuming you pre-pay for the year). If you
>> have a way of migrating easily, they may be worth a look.
>>
>> Geoffrey
>>
>> On Fri, 6 Feb 2009 04:36:46 -0500, Chris Powell <[hidden email]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Paul
>>>
>>> £600 sounds quite reasonable to me if you're getting the full 24/7
>>> support package (firewalls, load balancing, monitoring, disk hot swap,
>>> etc.etc.). You may be able to shave some off this but if that involves
>>> moving to a different hosting provider, have you factored in the cost of
>>> the move? With planning, setup, data migration, running both providers
>>> in parallel for a while etc., it may not be worth the hassle.
>>>
>>>
>>> Chris Powell
>>> http://www.mindyourstreet.com>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Paul Curtis wrote:
>>>
>>>> Now apologies first ? I seem to see a lot of messages flying around
>>>> about hosting which if you?re not interested are rather dull, and now
>>>> I find myself in that predicament!
>>>>
>>>> So in short ? I need to move one of our systems from its current
>>>> platform to a new more robust solution given the sudden increase in
>>>> demand. I have actually got as far as being recommended a solution by
>>>> a provider, but have suddenly thought ? ?that?s an awful lot, and
>>>>
>> I
>>
>>>> should be able to get the same service for a lot less?.
>>>>
>>>> We are looking for a dedicated server solution which has the
>>>> specification as follows:-
>>>>
>>>> · Quad Core Xeon
>>>>
>>>> · 4GB RAM
>>>>
>>>> · 2x300GB HDD, Raid 1
>>>>
>>>> · Windows Server 2003 32Bit
>>>>
>>>> · SQL Workgroup
>>>>
>>>> · 100mb connection, 4,000GB bandwidth per month.
>>>>
>>>> · 50GB backup space on a NAS
>>>>
>>>> This needs to cover SQL licensing, managed back-ups and a reasonable
>>>> SLA to ensure there is as little down time as possible. I?m also keen
>>>> to look at virtualised solutions as ultimately we will want a separate
>>>> server instance for each client of the software, but believe a virtual
>>>> instance will be sufficient over a dedicated machine. We?re currently
>>>> looking at about £600 per month for this, so would really appreciate
>>>> any recommendations for alternatives at a cheaper price.
>>>>
>>>> Also...if there are any decent PM?s experienced in the delivery of
>>>> high volume web-sites, or anyone can recommend one, I have an amazing
>>>> opportunity for a 3-6 month stint in Abu Dhabi, UAE working on an
>>>> e-Commerce site for a significant airline in this area. An incredible
>>>> country and a rewarding experience for the right individual who
>>>> fancies a new challenge!
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for your time,
>>>>
>>>> Paul
>>>>
>>>> Paul Curtis
>>>>
>>>> Managing Director
>>>>
>>>> Unomee Ltd
>>>>
>>>> ( +44 (0) 1462 457005
>>>>
>>>> È +44 (0) 7951 038591
>>>>
>>>> * [hidden email]>>>>
>>>> www http://www.unomee.com>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Please Note: If you hit "*REPLY*", your message will be sent to
>>>> *everyone* on this mailing list ([hidden email]>>>> <mailto:[hidden email]>)
>>>> This message was sent by Paul Curtis ([hidden email]) from London
>>>> OpenCoffee Meetup <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>.
>>>> To learn more about Paul Curtis, visit his/her member profile
>>>> <http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8239119/>
>>>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here
>>>> <http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>
>>>>
>>>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>>>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on
>>> this mailing list ([hidden email])
>>> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>>> This message was sent by Chris Powell ([hidden email]) from
>>>
>> London
>>
>>> OpenCoffee Meetup.
>>> To learn more about Chris Powell, visit his/her member profile:
>>> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8343819/>>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here:
>>> http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>>>
>> --
>> geoffrey mccaleb: bedl.am studios ltd.
>> email: [hidden email] | phone: +44-7900-911823
>> jabber/msn: [hidden email] | yahoo: bedlam_ltd | skype: bedl.am
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([hidden email])
>> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>> This message was sent by Geoffrey McCaleb ([hidden email]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.
>> To learn more about Geoffrey McCaleb, visit his/her member profile: http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/3845249/>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here: http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([hidden email])
>> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/>> This message was sent by Paul Curtis ([hidden email]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.
>> To learn more about Paul Curtis, visit his/her member profile: http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/8239119/>> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here: http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/>> Meetup Support: [hidden email]>> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([hidden email])
> http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/> This message was sent by Steve Ganly ([hidden email]) from London OpenCoffee Meetup.
> To learn more about Steve Ganly, visit his/her member profile: http://www.meetup.com/opencoffee/members/5403433/> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here: http://www.meetup.com/account/comm/> Meetup Support: [hidden email]> 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA
>
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